(2/21/2024 Edits: I just checked using my laptop and realised the problem with the 'System Messages' so i fixed it so...yeah.)
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< General POV >
The Midridge Forest is a vast and dense woodland that stretches across the east of the West County. It's home to a rich variety of monsters which reside in the misty forest, making this a popular hunting ground for hunters all around the West County and the entire Falgard Empire.
Hunters in the Falgard Empire belong to one of five classes: Mages, Swordsmen, Trappers, Archers and Knights. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, but the most popular one is the Mage class. Mages are known for their ability to manipulate mana, the source of all magic and the main part of peoples life, Mages can unleash devastating spells. A Hunter's main job is to hunt down or capture monsters - beings that are born from mana disturbances. Monster parts can be sold or used for crafting weapons, armor and potions.
Now deep within The Midridge Forest, a dilapidated structure could be seen in a clearing, surrounded by vegetation that invaded its interior. The building had lost its former glory, its windows broken and its doors barely hanging from their corroded hinges. The wind made them squeak occasionally, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the place.
The building had once been a splendid sight, with its elegant architecture and lavish decorations. But now, it was a shadow of its former glory, with furniture covered in dust and cobwebs, paintings torn and faded, and windows cracked and shattered. The air inside was thick and musty, making it hard to breathe.
In one of the many rooms the air began to ripple and distort, as if an unseen force was pulling it apart from within. Suddenly, a blinding flash of light erupted in the center of the room, followed by a loud thud. A body lay on the floor, bloodied and bruised, showing no signs of life.
The body that lay motionless on the ground suddenly started to twist and convulse violently. Then, it opened its eyes, which shone with a renewed vitality.
< MC POV >
I opened my eyes slowly, feeling a dull ache all over my body. I felt like I had been asleep for a long time, and every movement was painful. I looked around, confused by the unfamiliar surroundings. I was lying on a cold, hard floor in a dimly lit room.
"Where am I? What is going on?" I whispered, trying to stand up.
All of a sudden an emotionless voice echoed in my mind as a floating screen suddenly appeared, making me stumble backwards. It was a shocking and surreal experience, as if I had entered a virtual reality simulation. The screen flickered before a text appeared.
[System transfer beginning...]
[Host has been identified]
[Congratulations Host, you have successfully inherited the Support System, a Starter gift box has been rewarded to the host.]
I felt a sudden surge of energy coursing through my body as the voice echoed in my mind. I opened my eyes and saw a holographic screen floating in front of me, showing various stats and options.
[Status]
Host: -
Age: 20
Health: 70/100
Inventory
Skills
Quest: 1 available
"Wait, wait! What the fuck is this! Who are you?" I exclaimed as I frantically looked around the room, trying to find the cause of my dilemma.
[I am the built in guide for the Support System that you have inherited. My goal is to support and help the growth of the host in this new world.]
"N-New world? What the fuck do yo-"
I felt a surge of images rush into my brain, making me collapse on the mattress, clutching my skull in agony. It was like someone had turned on a projector inside my head, showing me scenes from a life I didn't remember.
.
.
.
After minutes or maybe hours, I finally felt the agony fading away, and I took a deep breath of relief. Though the memories were hazy at least I remembered who I was. My name is Alexander Maxwell, a 21 year old guy from a place called Earth. I had worked myself to death in a crappy company, and now I was in a different world according to my memories and the 'system'. How crazy is that?
"A new world huh?" I mumbled as I adjusted myself to the edge of the bed. "and a system, just what the fuck is going on"
I sighed as I shaked my head wryly. "No use thinking about it anyways.", I mumbled as I turned my attention back to the mysterious floating screen In front of me. I glanced back at the name tab and saw that it had changed. It now showed my name in bold letters.
[Status]
Host: Alexander Maxwell (Human Male)
Age: 20
Health: 70/100
Class: -
Inventory
Skills
Store (Locked)
Quest: 1 available
The system had recognized me. I wondered what else it knew about me, and what it wanted me to do.
With an esperated sigh, I layed down on the old and dusty bed at the corner of the room and scrolled down the screen, until I reached the Inventory tab that was glowing with a blue light. Curious, i touched the tab with one of my fingers to see what it was. As soon as I touched the tab, the status screen disappeared and a new screen replaced it.
[Inventory]
> Gold Rank Gift Box - 1x
"Starter Gift Box? What is that?" I wondered, staring at it.
The emotionless voice that I had heard before, suddenly echoed in my mind once more.
[You have received a Starter Gift Box, please tap the grid to open your rewards.]
Nodding slightly I pressed the grid that contained the Gift Box - A Black box that glowed an enthrall gold. The screen flickered once more before a smaller screen overlaps it displaying the rewards.
[Starter Gift Box]
> Basic Mana Introduction Book
> Demon Sheep Wool Clothes
> Black Kobold Chest Armour
> Traveller's Hunting Boots
> Basic Iron Short Sword
> High Grade Healing Potion - 2x
> Gold Coins - 1000G
[Rewards have been transferred to inventory]
[Double tap the screen or will the screen to close, to check your inventory]
Following what it's instructions I double tapped the screen quickly, closing the screen.
The screen reverted back to the inventory screen displaying the new rewards.
[Inventory]
> Gold Coins - 1000G
> Basic Mana Introduction Book
> Demon Sheep Wool Clothes
> Black Kobold Chest Armour
> Traveller's Hunting Boots
> Basic Iron Short Sword
> High Grade Healing Potion - 2x
"Hahh~, okay so what do I do with this?"I asked with a sigh as I looked at my inventory.
[Host is recommended to check the Quest Tab for further instructions]
Listening to the system guide, I double tapped the screen again and pressed the Quest Tab, making it expand and replace the status screen.
[Quests]
New World Exploration (Part 1)
> Basic Mana Control
- All life has Mana in them, Humans of this world have managed to control Mana from the Mana circuit and have integrated it into their daily lives. Now for an otherworlder can you successfully control Mana?
{Rewards: Bronze gift box}
{Penalty: Permanent loss of mana circuits In the body (You might as well die)}
{Time limit: 1 week}
Looking at the Quest description I could not help but feel excited at the prospect of being able to use mana, something that did not exist in my old world. As I trailed down the screen I stopped at the reward section.
"What's a gift box?" I asked
[The system has a special way of rewarding you: the gift box. You can get different kinds of gift boxes, depending on your Quests. The lowest one is the bronze gift box, and the highest one is the platinum gift box. The value of the rewards inside the gift boxes also varies according to their type]
"Oh! So I'll get a reward for completing Quests right?"
[Affirmative. Failure to do so within the given time will result in severe punishments given by the system]
"Got it, so the Quest is for me to control Mana, alright then. How should I learn this..." I pondered as I stood up from the bed.
Pacing back and forth I suddenly remembered I had obtained a Basic Mana Introduction Book from the starter gift box. I quickly opened status screen by willing it and opened my inventory.
[Inventory]
> Gold Coins - 1000G
> Basic Mana Introduction Book
> Demon Sheep Wool Clothes
> Black Kobold Chest Armour
> Traveller's Hunting Boots
> Basic Iron Short Sword
> High Grade Healing Potion - 2x
I grinned as i saw the book on the screen and quickly pressed the square that contained it. As I did that, the book disappeared from grid and I felt something heavy in my hands and looked down. There it was, the book I wanted! It was real! The system actually worked!
"Wait if that worked..." I looked back at the screen and back to my clothes. "Might as well change" I muttered with a grin.
Minutes later I am dressed in a snug black leather armour that covers the area around my chest and shoulders. Beneath it is a contrasting crimson red tunic paired with a pair of comfortable burgundy pants and a brown leather boot's. All this match nicely with my messy black hair and ruby red eyes.
"I look better then expected..." I muttered as I admired my appearance in the mirror that stood in the corner.
Snapping out of my egotistical trance, I flip open the book and settled on the floor crossing my legs together.
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[A/N: Taken from the Internet and slightly changed to fit the story. Original in Fantasy Fanon Wiki and Quora (Rodrick Islo)]
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[Basic Mana Introduction Book]
Mana:
- Mana (Magic Power) is a root substance consisting of various fields of magical energy that exist along side the other fundamental forces of physics like gravity and electromagnetism. Creatures and objects are capable of manipulating these fields in various different ways to create spectacular effects. The key is how the characters manipulate them. The action of molding Mana and pushing it out from the body is known as Magic.
Mana Circuits:
- Mana is everywhere; in creatures, plants, the air, the water, etc. Creatures capable of utilizing Mana store the energy in Mana Circuits, a storage system within the body. If the circuits are completely empty, the body will then slowly replenish itself by absorbing Mana from the air (or water).The Mana Circuits are like a muscle, and therefore, should be exercised like one. Reckless treatment of the Container can result in the user permanently damaging their Container and their ability to perform Magic at all.
How to Control Mana for dummies:
1) Hold out your hand as though asking for something and close your eyes. Temporarily depriving yourself of sight increase visual prowess by a small but desired percentage.
2) Create an image of fire above your hand. The dancing of the flame and colour. The way it lights the room.
3) Now, engage the five senses in this image. Feel the warmth of the fire, see it dance gracefully, hear the air fight against the flames, taste the food or anything in your mouth and smell the air in the room.
4) And finally, create an emotion that would occur when the flame appears. I suggest emotions of gratitude and satisfaction, but whatever floats your boat can work.
This is a process that requires patience and persistence. You cannot achieve it with a single attempt, but you have to keep trying over and over again. As you practice, pay attention to your body and your energy level. If you feel too weak or dizzy, stop and rest. You don't want to overexert yourself and damage your mana. The sign that you are making progress is a faint glow that will appear in the palm of your hands. That means you are close to manifesting your close to controlling mana.
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< General POV>
The book ended there, the next couple of pages was weirdly left blank. Alexander sighed as he closed the book, his eyes though showed a contrasting sense of determination. He stood up from the creaky bed and walked to the middle of the room, his right arm lifted up in front of him. Recalling the information he had read from the book, he opens his palms and closes his eyes, taking in deep and steady breathes from the air around him.
"Ha~ let's do this..." he mumbled
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[A/N: Hello it's me Mario! NO, I'm just joking it's me N00813Writer back from the New Year break. Ah it's good to be back. Now, I'm extremely sorry for not informing you guys earlier but this is my new project that I was working on the past weeks, so I'll stop writing NSBAL for now as I felt like it does not suit my taste. Well that all from me, tell me what you think of this new one.Bye!!]